December 24th, 2022 Tomorrow is a last thing and this time of year brings up a lot of last things. The last time she made the thing you love. The last time she laughed at one of your jokes, and you laughed at her laugh. The last time you sat next to her at theContinue reading “One Last Thing”
Tag Archives: Grief
The Language of Darkness
November 25th, 2022 There’s something you feel when someone ends their own life that feels either unnatural or completely understandable. It’s something I’ve explored a lot, in essays like these, and in fictional characters like Liam, in the book Push, and Axis in The Weirdos. I had the realization that I had said unnatural orContinue reading “The Language of Darkness”
Kevin Conroy, Batman
November 14th, 2022 Kevin Conroy passed away on November 10th, 2022. For many people, he was known as the voice of Batman. For some of us, he simply was Batman. It’s odd, because last month I started a series of essays about Halloween costumes I’d worn as a kid, and what those characters meant toContinue reading “Kevin Conroy, Batman”
I’m Becoming This
November 7th, 2022 “I don’t know if I’m strong; I think I’m just numb.” – Khloe Kardashian Today — and this week, and this year, and the past handful of years — I wonder how many of us have been embodying this Khloe Kardashian quote. I don’t know the difference between strong and numb someContinue reading “I’m Becoming This”
Just Another Day
October 16th, 2022 It’s just another day. It’s football day. My dread is warmer than usual, my anxiety sharper. It’s not just another day. My dad legally divorced the Minnesota Vikings in 1998 over an incident neither he nor millions of other sports fans had any control over. My mom stayed committed to them. ThatContinue reading “Just Another Day”
Groundless
October 14th, 2022 I was going to write about fall today. I had a lot of feelings yesterday and thought of some words I was going to write this morning. I was going to take a stunning photo of an autumn tree. And then it snowed. And what I really wanted to talk about cameContinue reading “Groundless”
The Kind Monster
September 6th, 2022 Starting today, I’m going to be taking the rest of the month off from posting essays. I feel like you and I could use a break from each other, in a good way. I hope you’ll catch up on posts, if that’s your thing, or pick up some of my work andContinue reading “The Kind Monster”
For You or Not For You
September 5th, 2022 When I saw the State Fair water tower on the horizon this year, the nostalgia hit me harder than normal. Instead of a general flavor, nostalgia tends to get colored by people whose loss feels recent, like yesterday, even though they’ve been gone, say, nearly two years. It got me thinking aboutContinue reading “For You or Not For You”
2
September 1st, 2022 Today is my two-year anniversary at Harry’s. (This is not a photo of us celebrating my anniversary. This is from a wedding a few weekends ago where I was the minister-bartender. Barnister? Minitender.) In 2020, a lot of people lost a lot. I lost more than I ever had in any otherContinue reading “2”
Heard
August 26th, 2022 Yesterday afternoon, I encountered a family of three who seemed overwhelmed. I asked how they were and they told me, understandably, that they had been better. I looked at the documents and photos spread across the table. They had to plan a funeral over lunch. I told them I understood. There continuedContinue reading “Heard”
The Den 